Murder in Jamaica: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

soft sound of a radio coming from one of the rooms. Anna looked around and felt fear crawl up her spine.
    “Hello?” Her words filled the room and echoed off the wall. “Is there anyone in here?”
    The only response was silence. As she turned to go, she couldn’t help notice that the radio was playing a heavy metal song. It wasn’t the type of music one would expect to hear in a place full of tranquility.
    Deciding she should investigate, Anna went over to the closed door across the way. Her steps echoed in the room and gave her a heightened sense of being alone. Part of her wished Pierre was by her side to take her hand and show her some comfort. Realistically, she knew that would never happen and tried to shake those feelings off.
    As she reached the door, she raised a hand, knocked on it three times, and waited for a response. When there was no reply, she knocked again.
    “Hello?” Anna called. “My name is Anna Winters. I’m with the hotel. Can I speak with you?”
    Again, there wasn’t a response. If there was a VIP behind the door and she opened it, she could lose her job. Although she could claim she didn’t realize there was someone in there, it could be hard to get the person to calm down. On the other hand, if someone was in trouble, she needed to find out what the problem was right away.
    Reaching for the handle, she tried the knob. It turned with ease and Anna paused for a moment. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. As she entered the room, she found herself surrounded by floral scents and soft light. It appeared Mica was sitting with her back to her.
    “Mica, it’s Anna Winters.” Anna began. “I don’t mean to pester you. I am looking for Courtney. Do you know where she is?”
    Anna waited and the woman didn’t move at all. Reaching over, Anna touched the edge of the chair to turn it around. As she did, the woman fell forward and sprawled on the ground. Just then, she noticed the skin had a bluish tint to it.
    “Mica!” Anna cried and rushed down next to the woman. Checking for her pulse, she couldn’t feel one. Rolling her onto her back, Anna backed away in shock. She had assumed the woman was Mica Swenson but the face clearly belonged to Courtney.
    Looking at her left arm, Anna could see a syringe plunged into her vein.
    “Courtney, no.” Anna sobbed. “This can’t be happening. No!”
    From the looks of it, Courtney had died of a drug overdose. The woman was her only hope to learn more about Heath and despite her zoned out responses, Anna could tell that Courtney was honest and upfront with what she knew.
    As she looked at Courtney’s face, she noticed something in her mouth. Pushing gently on her jaw, Anna managed to open the woman’s mouth with a little effort and saw some ackee still in her mouth. Backing up in horror, she realized the woman hadn’t died of a drug overdose. The same person who had poisoned the ackee at the reception had managed to do the same thing again.
    Reaching into her pocket and taking out her phone, she dialed the number for Detective Mueller.
    “This is Detective Mueller.” The man’s rough voice came on the line.
    “Detective, this is Anna Winters.” Anna began. “You remember, from the hotel. We spoke earlier.”
    “Oh, you mean Super Sleuth Winters?” The man laughed. “Did you find more drugs? Have you located the hideout of the cartel? Is Timmy in the well and do you need our help to fish him out?”
    “There’s a body.” Anna replied coldly. “You know, those things you locate and investigate. You know, the part of your job I know nothing about because I’m just a petty kitchen worker.”
    “What do you mean there’s a body?” Detective Mueller demanded.
    “Are you sure I am qualified to deliver this information to you?” Anna snarked. “It’s in the spa here at the hotel. The body is Courtney Keller. She was the girlfriend of one of the victims, Heath Westcott. Earlier in the day, she mentioned she was coming into